I’m seesawing on a sloop in New York Harbor, its white sail waving like freshly hung linen. Down: the sparkling water laps up on the boat and my mimosa, the color of the early-morning sun, feverishly sloshes. Up: One World Trade Center pokes its silver top above the large sail and an endless blue sky makes Downtown Manhattan look like a professionally painted cityscape sold in a Times Square souvenir shop.

A salt-filled ocean breeze whips between the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and swirls with the fresh orange juice smell from the Champagne flutes of a dozen brunch guests aboard Manhattan by Sails Shearwater (www.manhattanbysail.com). The boat’s sail turns slightly against the wind, and grants me a full view of the City. From this vantage point, New York seems different and that’s what I’ve been searching for during a whirlwind one-week trip as a New York tourist.

Trying to ditch my existing biases and opinions as a ten-year New Yorker and a life-long New York State resident, I forge a plan to take off work and discover just what New York is like for an average tourist trying to take a bite out of the Big Apple. And while I enjoy seeing attractions that I’ve never actually visited, like the Empire State Building, I try to find new and exciting ways to see this thriving metropolis of eight million people. I also quickly discover that navigating and experiencing New York City is fraught with long lines, overpriced attractions, and endless schemes to take advantage of tourists, but enjoying a quintessential experience is attainable.\